Friday, February 26, 2021

why do metric sockets.... work on a 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 drive... but don't have some weird 'metric' size drive?

 I've never heard of a metric drive socket wrench. 

So, what the hell is that about? 

Did someone look at the world, and say, hold my beer and see how long it takes someone to notice this shitfuckery? 

8 comments:

  1. Some bicycle tires - but not all - went to metric measurements, but for cars and motorcycles they're are still in inches. It's only when you loose a satellite or something they se the point of standardizing.

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  2. Snapon made a 5\16 size drive. Supposedly a 9\16 size too. It was military grade and was to give extra strength and to prevent theft.

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  3. OK you just ended the world.

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  4. 😆 You're right, and that's funny. Of course, there's always good old Wentworth. 🤪

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    Replies
    1. I had a set of Wentowrth, they were 3/8ths drive. I can't find the post though.

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    2. Ahhhh, Whitworth https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/11/case-of-mystery-socket-set-solved-what.html I forgot how it was spelled too

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  5. don't forget, every camera mount in the world is 1/4-20 SAE

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  6. I never gave that any thought. My guess is that the inch size socket drives were already so entrenched that there was no reason to create new versions of the same thing in MM sizes.

    Someone asked the question on a Metric Reddit thread. One post says that there are 6.5, 9.5 and 12.5mm versions, which are slightly different from the mm conversion of the inch sizes. The links that they posted are all dead, though.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/Metric/comments/8skz9p/will_ratchet_drives_ever_become_metric/

    There is a ratchet set available in Australia that has a female 19mm hex in the ratchet handle, with a male hex on the top of the sockets, but this seems to be the only place to find it. This design looks inferior to the square drive ratchet, because I don't see a way to lock the socket into the ratchet.

    https://www.justtools.com.au/bahco-14pce-go-through-socket-set-s140t/

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